Una-Muse-d
by SlytherNoir
Summary: Today could possibly be the best day of Nathaniel's life. But destiny had other plans. And when the muse of your life decides you're not the sun she wants, things can get way too hard to deal by yourself.


"Today is the day. The day I'll ask Marinette out."

Nathaniel hadn't been happier in a long time. He had finally taken the courage to ask the love of his life out. Marinette. Just thinking about her brought a smile to his face.

He had known her since they were kids: they were always in the same class, and he always admired her persistence and her passionate ways. If he wasn't so shy, he would have talked to her since day one. She was too bright: the sun he needed in his life. And now he had finally sketched everything up in his head to ask her out. It would be perfect, he knew it.

"Yes, today is the day."

He was smiling confidently in front of the mirror. He had styled his hair, pulling his bangs a little more to the side, showing both of his teal eyes. His face was lit up in a way that was almost never seen: the one he saved just for Marinette. He was radiating.

"Marinette?" at first he couldn't even get her attention. He cleaned his throat and tried again, louder: "Marinette?"

She turned around, a little surprised. "Oh, hi, Nathaniel!" smiled her, tucking a loose hair back behind her ear. Her move was so soft and innocent, it made the red-head blush immediately, and he had to turn away his gaze.

"Uh, I-uh…" he was stuttering hard. All his new found confidence went down the drain when she smiled at him when they headed to class. He had all the time in the world to get himself together - it was already the end of term now - but he simply couldn't. He was fooling around the whole day thinking of her. And he couldn't even form a sentence right.

The artist swallowed hard, noticing the girl was seemingly uncomfortable with the situation. It was expected of course - he wasn't saying a thing. "I- I-" he paused, and 'Don't stutter again, don't stutter again!' was all he could think of.

"Do you want to go to the movies with me?!" he finally said, this time loudly. It was more like a shout. But at least he managed to get it off.

He looked back at her, his lips trembling and his eyes filled with hope and despair. He didn't know what he expected - a smile, shock, a little blushing. But not sadness. Definitely not sadness. And… was there pity as well?

"I- I'm sorry, Nathaniel…" she lamented, her bright blue eyes piercing at him. "I- I can't" no, they weren't piercing AT him, they were piercing THROUGH him. He snapped to look back, searching for the target of her attention. Adrien. Of course it was Adrien. "I only think of you as a friend." she was biting her lower lip, trying her best to smile, but he was immerse in his own thoughts.

He knew why: Hawkmoth. Marinette was too nice to lead anyone to be akumatized, even if it wasn't her fault.

"Nathaniel?" She asked, softly. She wouldn't want him to be the next villain to attack Paris. The artist looked back at her, his gaze piercing though the red bangs that covered his face. "Are you okay?" there was so much worry in her voice…

"Yes, I'm okay." he lied, smiling forcibly. "I'm okay with… being friends." he opened his smile a bit more, but it started to tremble. And if she could see his eyes, she would see the pain, the regret in them. She would see the tears slowly forming in the corners of his eyes. "Sorry to disturb you." Apologized the boy, turning around and walking away rapidly. Just as those tears started to run down his cheeks, dripping warm in his shirt and hands.

His steps got faster as he turned the corner of the school, his constrained march quickly evolving to full force running, trying to get the further away he could from his problems.

He was a few blocks away when he stooped, his fingers clutching desperately to his tablet, his breathing heavy and his heartbeats fast against his chest, each beat a pain on his ribcage. The tears streamed down his face, and he tried his best to wipe them with the back of his hand, but he couldn't. He didn't even know where he was.

Nathaniel took a deep breath before looking up. He was at a pretty park, all filled out with trees and benches underneath them. It was his favorite park. He had no idea he was going there: maybe the depths of his mind guided him there, trying to make him feel better. He cleared his face again with his sleeve and walked up to the nearest bench, letting himself collapse on it.

After what seemed ages, he finally stopped crying. His heart wasn't racing anymore, and he seemed calm - but only on the outside. He could feel his chest heavy with heartbreak, and his eyes were heavy, making him unable to think right. All he felt was an immense sadness, and a void consuming him slowly. He took a deep breath, his eyes still closed, and laid back on the bench, trying to find the peace that place always had.

He was still trying to organize his feelings when he heard a voice lightly commenting "Though day?" from somewhere beside him. The voice was quite familiar, but not enough for Nathaniel to recognize it right away. The only thing he noticed was it was the voice of a boy. Maybe somebody from the art club?

He could hear when his new found company sat beside him, the folding of his clothes giving him away. The artist half-opened his eyes, just in time to catch a glimpse of a big casket being opened, revealing a wooden guitar and a series of pieces.

Nathaniel closed his eyes again. The instrument reminded him of someone - one of Marinette's friends, yes, but not one he talked to frequently. They had seen each other a couple times, guessed him, but it wasn't enough for them to know each other.

"You're one of Mari's friends, right?" asked the other boy, tuning his guitar.

Friends. That simple word made Nathaniel shrug. "Guess so", he stated, emotionless. He didn't want to be just a friend. But if that was what he would have, then he would be the best friend he could for Marinette. Even if it meant letting her go. Still, those words hit the poor boy like a truck.

"Yeah, me too" commented him, sour. His tone made the red-head look at him, in polite interest, but he was too focused on his guitar. When he finally looked up, all he met was the bright teal gaze of the other, silently asking him to share his story.

"You're Nathaniel, right?" he asked, trying to change the topic of the conversation. He had a thing for blueish eyes, but those ones seemed to interrogate him. "I'm Luka by the way, in case you don't remember" said him, extending his hand.

The artist nodded, shaking Luka's hand. "Yeah, I quite remembered you, but not the name", he replied, the corners of his mouth twitching in the beginning of a smile. The guitarist chuckled lightly, laying himself atop his guitar. Maybe, just maybe… being rejected by Marinette could have its good side.

"So, why were you so bummed out?" asked Luka, fidgeting with his ring. He was smiling, but mostly because of his company - he knew how people got akumatized all the time in Paris, so he had to make him feel better. And although talking about it could possibly not be the best option right now, at least lightening up the mood could work out.

But seeing how Nathaniel's face twisted in an upset frown, the musician immediately knew it wouldn't be good. It was probably something really bad if just mentioning it made the ocean-eyed boy so uncomfortable.

"You dont need to tell me if you don't want to." he added, quickly, afraid of making the artist back away. "I just want to help you out if I can." it sounded like an apology.

"No, it's okay." groaned the artist, pressing his forehead with his indexes and thumbs. "Actually, I think you're kinda in the same boat, right?" he completed, chuckling slightly. "And I feel very stupid about it."

"Hmm, okay…?" answered Luka, quite uncertain. Maybe he was referring to Marinette? The fire-headed boy's words had certainly caught his attention, and now his curiosity had taken his best. He was all ears.

"You know when you like someone so much you only want to be with them and you just can't think of your life without them?" started the artist, looking back at his hands, and then at the black-haired boy. Luka nodded in agreement, compassionate. It spoke to him, too. It was almost exactly what he felt about Marinette. "Well, I… I kinda like someone exactly like this. We ARE friends, but like, it's more like, we know each other since ever and… and I just like her so much."

"Are you… Are you talking about Marinette?"

"Yes… And… And I asked her out today, you know" the words were getting harder to pronounce. "But it didn't quite seem to work out." lamented him, pain pouring through his chest. He could feel his chest getting heavier, and he could see tears forming again in the corners of his eyes. "She doesn't love me the same! She only has eyes for Adrien…" his vision was getting blurred, and his voice, shaky. "And… I want her to be happy, I really want to, but I can't help her right now, because it still hurts! It hurts so much!!! And…"

His voice cracked, interrupted by the heavy amount of tears streaming down his face. He was full on crying, he didn't want to be, but he was. He just couldn't help it. His hands moved automatically to cover his eyes, his head tilted as if he wanted to curl himself up in a small ball of sorrow, and his loud sobbing filled the air around him, pin-pointed by heartbreaking hiccups.

Suddenly, the warmth of a tight embrace cut his weeping, in a gulp of surprise. He opened his eyes to Luka's arms wrapping tenderly around him, his weight resting carefully against Nathaniel's shoulders and his face turned away in a slightly embarrassed disinterest. Almost as if it was nothing at all. The red-head was too shocked to do anything but accept the embrace, his chest moving up and down in an attempt to control his own tears. He could feel the stream of blood rushing to his cheeks, coloring them as fiery red as his hair was, or maybe even more, his eyes closing as he let himself reside in the moment.

A few moments passed before they broke it apart - it seemed like ages, but still like not even a mere second. The guitarist wasn't looking at him yet - he had his face turned and all Nathaniel could see was the way the light hit those black and blue streaks. He had no words to say whatsoever, and was too confused to do anything but stare.

"I know what you're going through, okay?" it was Luka's voice, but filled with the same pain Nathaniel was so full of. The artist just continued staring, waiting for his partner to continue. He hadn't turned back yet - it was like the simple image of the other boy could trigger a truth he wanted to avoid.

"I- I'm one of Marinette's friends too. And I too wanted to be more. I thought… I thought we had something. I almost could taste it. But… She is too focused on Adrien. It's crystal clear. I always knew she liked him, but… I thought I could stand a chance, maybe?"

The question floated in the air, unanswered, filling the atmosphere with pinches of melancholy and regret. Then, a new sound cut through it, the caustic sound of irony condensed in a laugh. It was between chuckles that Luka finally turned around, saying "How foolish of mine, isn't it? Guess I'll just gotta stay una-muse-d now, right?"

Nathaniel smiled too, a light grin lifting the corner of his mouth. "Me too."


End file.
